Musing Monday..Let Us Look To Aristotle!

Let's head over and check out this week's question from MizB at Should Be Reading...

This week’s musing asks…

Do you prefer character-driven stories, or plot-driven stories?

Must I choose one?
Because I am not sure I can.
For me, a good book is always a balance of the two.

I think good characters are essential. The reader has to identify with the characters or like them or be concerned about them...or why would I care what happens to them in the story?

But, there has to be a good story, or really, what is the point? I want to see those great character involved, acting, caught up in some great happenings! We are not that far removed from our ancestors gather around the hearth, listening with rapt attention to the Storyteller. It is all about a great story that captures our imagination, that draws us in.

A great plot + great characters = a great book.
Granted, the balance may shift a bit from genre to genre, from book to book.
I am a fan, a rather obsessive fan, of mysteries and thrillers. Certainly, that is a genre that by its very nature must be plot heavy. But a mystery without good, well developed characters, no matter how good the story, will always be mediocre at best. The plot may capture our interest, but we must feel some connection with the people involved to really bring the story alive and touch us.
However, sometimes even in a mystery, the author loses the balance. I think of a book I read recently that went on and on about the feeling and thoughts of the lead character. It was a pretty good plot but I was so tired of slogging though his internal conflicts that I was hard pressed to finish it.

As Aristotle said, virtue is found in balance and moderation!